Phenomenal Interview with Scott Boras, Discusses Potential Bryant Extension

We often slap negative comments on Scott Boras, but here’s the facts – he’s the best there is in the game. So when you have a chance to sit and listen to Scott, especially as a baseball fan, you do it. When he talks about the most dynamic player on the Cubs roster, you stop everything, turn the speakers up, and take notes. So when Boras sat with Gordon Wittenmyer and Maddie Lee to discuss all things Cubs and Kris Bryant.

I have always said to understand someone, you have to listen to them in long form. I do this with politicians (I’m a rare breed that votes based on the candidate I like opposed to a party line), and it helps me to understand where anyone with possible opposing or radical views is coming from. Hell, when I listened to Kanye West on Joe Rohan’s podcast I almost signed up to start stumping for West in 2020. (Not really, but you hear some of his thoughts and when explained he makes good points).

But coming back to Boras and Bryant. It does sound like Bryant will be on the roster to start the 2021 season. That should already be a given based on several reports coming from the Cubs, the Winter Meetings, and current rumors. The question he cannot answer is if he will be on the club’s roster at the end of the season.

Boras mentions the more recent deals he was able to work on, keeping Stephen Strasburg and Xander Bogaerts in their respected cities. He mentioned how Kris has explained his desire and willingness to listen to the Cubs on potential extension-talks. But this far, those calls have fell on deaf ears within the Chicago front office.

Boras got especially vocal when he answered Gordon’s question about how the fan’s criticism has effected him. Scott’s voice is noticably louder as he explains who Bryant is.

“I don’t know where this is coming from,” Boras exclaimed. “Look at 2019, that’s the most current full season we can look at. That’s a .900 OPS, All Star season and he had 600 plus plate appearances. We’re talking about a man, look at his career record. I don’t know where this is fostering from, other than 2020. In 2020 let me talk about Mike Trout and the 100 plus drop in his OPS, or Cody Bellinger or Alfonso or Bergman, or Arenado. Let me go and find the stars that all had this point.”

There is a giant bias in this town against Kris Bryant and it is absolutely stupid. Not only has Bryant performed as an All Star recently. Not only is he highly serviceable defensively at several positions. Not only has he posted the second highest fWAR of any player other than Christian Yelich, but he’s also done it under the microscope of Chicago – and succeeded more than any other Cub has (rings are the scoreboard buddy).

If you want to add in 2020, please do.” Boras continued. “Because basically it’s about 3 or 4 percent of a player’s career over 3,700 something at bats, it’s a deminimous study when you look at the science of this to say that that is in any way empirically relevant of who Kris Bryant is.”

I highly recommend that you listen to the entire podcast (embedded above) as this is an interview you shouldn’t miss. Not only does he talk Bryant, but he talks many other players, free agency, skill level of so many other players.